A New Equestria, Episode 1: The Uprising
by Blade of AwE
Summary: Once Shining Armor realizes Princess Cadence isn't the right pony for him, he sets out to find that special somepony, and somehow ends up leading a revolution against Princess Celestia. Now, him with Neon Lights, Princess Luna and Rainbow Dash, lead the revolution together, to build a new Equestria. Rated T for mild violence and profanity.
1. So Sorry to Leave

**Chapter 1: So Sorry to Leave**

"But why, Shining Armor?" Cadence demands.

"Cadence, I promise you it's not something you did. It's just... Just that I don't feel like we're right together." He promises.

"Not right together? Not right together!? Are you insane? We saved the world from the Changelings! Our eternal love did that! We saved the Crystal Empire together! Chrysalis would still rule if it weren't for you and I as partners! Sombra would be in complete control of the Crystal Empire if it weren't for us!" She shakes her head as tears form in her eyes. "We had vows! We said we'd be together now and forever on the altar where my aunt married us! How would your parents respond to this? How about Twilight?"

"Cadence! Don't try to guilt me into staying with you! Twilight will be upset, yes, but she will have to understand. My parents will agree with me on anything." He says, zipping up his bags with all his things in it.

"But the only reason that the Crystal Empire is protected is because of us..." She tries to convince him.

"No, Cadence! That isn't true. The only reason the Crystal Empire is protected is because of you." He says, slinging the bags over his torso. "You need to stop trying this. We had a chance, but we fight too often, and we haven't had any real fun in months. We hardly see each other for reasons other than our monarchy. I'm sorry, Cadence. It's over." He walks away from her, leaving her in tears.

"I will tell Princess Celestia about this! She will punish you!" Cadence screams through tears.

"I don't care." He mutters. "But I'm sorry to leave."

A single tear runs down his cheek. Though he's leaving Cadence for their incompatibility, he's still sad to leave her. They had been through alot together, and it was sad to just leave her like so. He had spoken to her about it days earlier, but she hadn't agreed with him. He steps out of the castle, and away from the old memories of his old home. The crystal ponies salute him as he walks through the main street of the empire, thinking he is still their ruler. But a few give him looks that they think they know what's going on, and they don't salute him. One mare just bows her head.

"Milord!" A voice yells behind him. Shining Armour turns his head to see his advisor, Wise Prophet running behind him.

"You can't stop me from leaving, Prophet." He says, still walking.

"But milord! Think of the townsfolk! Think of how the city will be in shambles when the word is spread!" The stallion says.

"Think about who will spread it!" He adjusts the bag on his back and continues past all his citizens, who are now whispering amongst each other. "I'm leaving. And there is now way you're stopping me." Prophet falls behind at the last words of his former prince.

Shining Armor steps out of the city itself, and into the plains that surround the city. He walks onto the train station platform. And eventually, onto the train leading to Ponyville.


	2. Betrayed by Kin

**Chapter 2: Betrayed by Kin**

Shining Armor hurries through the town, the cloak covering his body, hiding him from the populace. He recognizes all sorts of ponies, some of which are Twilight's friends. He notices the shy yellow mare walking alongside a big red stallion, the orange cowpony at her stand, the blue pegasus dashing through the sky, and some other ponies. But he ignores them all. His main job here is to find Twilight, and hope that she is on his side.

He approaches the library his sister lives in, and raises his hoof to knock on the door. But the door suddenly opens, and he sees his sister's dragon assistant, Spike, step out of the treehouse.

"-And calm down!" He yells back into the tree. He bumps into Shining Armor's foreleg, and jumps when he turns to see the visitor.

"No! You can't be here, trust me!" Spike warns.

"What? But I wanna see Twili!" He argues.

"Twilight doesn't approve of what you did!" Shining Armor is taken aback by the comment.

"What are you talking about?" Spike closes the door so nopony inside can hear their conversation.

"Cadence is in there, in tears. She told us what you did. I can understand it, but Twilight is really upset. Cadence knew you'd come here and she is ready to take you to Canterlot for whatever reason. I think she told Princess Celestia." Spike tells him.

"She won't do anything. Princess Celestia has too much respect for me. I kept her kingdom safe when she couldn't," He walks past Spike, and into the house.

"-It'll be okay, Cadence... He won't hurt you anymore." He hears Twilight say soothingly.

"I don't know why he'd just abandon me like that, though! Out of the blue he just...! Why, Twilight? Why?" Cadence sobs.

"I don't know. I honestly cannot believe him." His sister says. He doesn't continue up to her bedroom as originally planned, but instead stops and listens.

"But I still love him! I will always love him..." Cadence cries.

"Maybe it would be good for him to spend some time in the Canterlot dungeon. Once the guards find him, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna will vote on his exile." Twilight assures the crying mare. "I've already spoken to Celestia about it, and she says she'll do her best to punish him."

"But I don't want that! I want him to be with him! Just because he doesn't love me doesn't mean I don't love him!" Cadence argues.

"But he betrayed you! He left you because he thinks he needs to find the right mare for him, but she's always been in front of him." Twilight says. What? She can't say that! She doesn't understand love. And she doesn't understand me. He thinks, storming out of the treehouse. Spike sits outside, tapping his foot. Shining Armor lowers his hood and grits his teeth.

"Twilight chose her side over mine! Her own brother! Her own BBBFF!" He yells.

"I know. It's ridiculous how she thinks. She chose a fillysitter she knew for a few years over the brother she knew her entire life. I just want you to know that, even though I'm Twilight's servant, I still support you over Cadence." Spike promises. The baby dragon bows down to the stallion, making Shining Armor want to smile.

"Stand up, Spike. I'm nothing honourable anymore." Shining Armor says, lifting Spike up.

"Oh. Okay then." He puts Spike back down and ruffles up his scales. From a distance, a mare watches the two talk, and soon realizes who the stallion is.

"Is that... Prince Shining Armor?" The mare shouts. All of the ponies around the area immediately turn their head and gaze at him.

"Uh oh." He says, staring back into their eyes.

"I think it might be time to run!" Spike suggests. Shining Armor turns to run, but just ends up running into the door of the treehouse, which opens and spills him out on the floor. He lands right on his muzzle and groans. Shining Armor looks up to see a horrified Cadence and an upset Twilight.

"What are you doing here?" Twilight asks, venom in her voice. He stands up, faces his sister, and narrows his eyes.

"Leaving. Because my sister chose her old fillysitter over her brother!" He spits back.

"Oh my lord! It's Cadence as well!" A mare yells from outside. Shining Armor turns away from them and out the door.

"You're about to have some trouble." He says before leaving. Cadence continues to sob into Twilight's pillow, and Twilight frowns.

"And so are you." She says.

Shining Armor runs through the town, dodging ponies left and right wanting his autograph, or some odd request, like giving them a grand tour of the Crystal Empire. He runs past a brown colt requesting a hug, and through a larger crowd of fanmares, who are shrieking with joy. He continues running until he bumps into a grey colt with black, spiky hair.

"Quick! Come with me!" He shouts. Shining Armor nods, recognizing the pony from when he was in school, and follows him into a large building. The colt practically smashes through the door, letting Shining Armor in. The colt slams the door, snapping all the locks into place.

"Thanks for saving me, Neon!" Shining Armor says.

"No problem, man!" Neon Lights remarks. Shining Armor looks around the house and at all the records hung on the wall, and the different certificates and awards.

"What is this place?" Shining Armor asks.

"It's my recording studio. Well, actually I share it with Vinyl Scratch and Strobe Light, but it's partially mine. I use it more than anyone else." Neon answers.

"Recording studio? You record music?" Shining Armor asks in disbelief.

"Yeah! They call me MC-W1SH!" He claims excitedly. "So, what are you doing in Ponyville? I thought you ruled the Crystal Empire with an iron fist, or something."

"Actually, no. Not anymore." Shining Armor responds. Neon walks towards a mini fridge, opens it up and looks inside.

"Why not? What happened?" The colt asks.

"Well, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, or Cadence, was my wife for a while..."

"That I know."

"And well she wasn't the right mare for me, so I left today and told her about it a couple weeks ago, but she doesn't understand as well as I do. Cadence and I were good while we lasted. I love Cadence, but I don't think her and I are meant to be together."

"Dude, that's deep." Neon responds, pulling a can out of the fridge.

"I guess. But today I went to see my sister, Twilight Sparkle, and she was protecting Cadence. I accidentally fell into her house when those mares noticed me, and she said the guards were out to get me."

At that, Neon stops.

"What? The guards are going to find you? Oh no..." He begins to worry.

"What's wrong? What does that mean?" Shining Armor asks, now growing worried.

"Get out! Get out now! Run as fast as you can!" But Neon's warning is too late, and guards emerge from the studio's basement behind Shining Armor, and charge at him. They tackle him to the ground and put cuffs on his hooves, putting them around his torso.

"No! Let me go!" Shining Armor yells in protest. One of the guards is knocked off by a chair to the face, which shatters. The wood goes through the room, but more guards just tackle Neon.

"Oh come on! I am not going to prison for hitting some idiot in the face with a chair! You guys broke into my studio without a warrant and told me you're gonna catch a criminal, not one of my friends!" Neon shouts. They cuff Neon as well, and go through the standard 'you have the right to remain silent' line. The guards pick both of them up, and take them outside, to a bunch of screaming mares and a few colts. They stare in confusion at the sight of their beloved prince being dragged away by his own guards. Shining Armor shuts his eyes and thinks about his betrayal towards his wife, and possibly his land. As he thinks, a commotion explodes in the crowd. Screaming, shouting and noises of hoof clashing against bones.

He opens his eyes to see a full on riot has erupted from the crowd, and it makes it's way towards him and the guards. Left and right, guards and citizens alike are being knocked aside like ragdolls. The last thing he remembers before being knocked out was somepony yelling about a revolution.


	3. The New Captain

**Chapter 3: The New Captain**

Shining Armor wakes up in a carriage, next to Neon Lights. Of course, guards still surround them, as well as another unicorn. The unicorn has a spiky red mane, a blue coat, and a pitch black jacket.

"Greetings, Mr. Shining Armor." The unicorn says.

"Hey." Shining Armor responds, his facial emotion changing once he realizes who the colt is. "You're the one who took my spot once I left Canterlot, aren't you?"

"Yes. I am Gleaming Bane, but you may call me Gleam." The colt says. "Now I understand that you have decided to leave your wife, Princess Cadence. Am I correct?"

"Indeed." Shining Armor says.

"I understand. Now, you decided to flee to Ponyville to your sister... Twilight Sparkle, is it?" Gleam asks. Shining Armor nods. "Twilight Sparkle alerted the authorities of your location. They knew your accomplice, Mr. Neon Lights would offer to help you, due to a past friendship. So they hid in the basement of his recording studio, and he unfortunately led you there."

"I know what happened. I was there, wasn't I?"

"Excuse me, Mr. Armor, but I am trying to help you! I don't need sarcastic comments when I am attempting to assist you. Now, I understand you were knocked unconscious by one of the guards when you tried to 'escape'. This guard has been punished because of choosing his personal regards over his orders. I have chosen somepony to represent you in the Royal Court-"

"Wait, Royal Court? I'm being brought to court because I left a mare I didn't love?"

"Unfortunately, yes. The Princess holds her niece very close to her heart, and has been acting irrational ever since this started. She has also been very stressed, and has forced Princess Luna to step up in her absence." Gleam explains.

"Alright. Why does this matter to me?"

"Well it matters because Princess Celestia is very upset with your decisions, making her choice over your fate probably very harsh. Princess Luna has not stated a clear statement over it, yet. I wish I could say that you'll end up being safe and sound, back in Ponyville, but it is very unlikely that the Princesses will choose to spare you. But the judges will have to decide over what happens to you."

"I know how this works. I've been the Captain of the Royal Guard longer than you have, you know." Shining Armor says.

"Yes, you have." Gleam agrees. Neon suddenly awakes and thrashes about wildly, knocking Shining Armor in the side of the head.

"You won't take me alive you dictators!" He yells. Shining Armor rubs the side of the head his friend mistakenly punched.

"Mr. Neon Lights, I assure you no one in this carriage is a dictator." Gleam states.

"What? Oh. Well, uh, where are we then? And where are we headed?" Neon asks, confused.

"You, Neon Lights, have been charged with assault of an officer alongside assisting a wanted felon, and will be brought to the Royal Court alongside Shining Armor. I am terribly sorry."

"What!? The Royal Court? But why?" Neon shouts in disbelief.

"For assaulting an officer and assisting a wanted felon. I just told you this." Gleam answers.

"But that's... outrageous! They tricked me into thinking they were gonna catch a real criminal, not my friend who decided to leave his wife!" Neon complains.

"Now, Shining Armor, your charges are abandonment, resisting arrest, and inciting a riot." Gleam lists.

"Resisting arrest? When did I resist arrest?" Shining Armor argues.

"Well, the list here-" A guard sitting beside him hands his a clipboard, "-says that you 'fled from Twilight Sparkle's library shortly after she had notified the authorities, and informed you about it'."

"What? She never told me about that!"

"Well, that's what she told us." Gleam gives the clipboard back to the guard.

"She is also extremely angry at me!"

"You may take this up with Princess Celestia when you are judged tomorrow." Gleam says, shutting down the conversation. Shining Armor's jaw drops. This is all because I decided Cadence wasn't the right mare for me, he thinks. Neon bumps his shoulder, and leans into his ear.

"I don't want to be a 'Negative Nancy', but I think we're screwed." He whispers.

"Yeah, I don't think there's anyway that we'll make it out of this without some sort of harsh punishment." Armor whispers back. The rest of the carriage ride Shining Armor spends worrying. At this point, he'd just go back to ruling the Crystal Empire with Cadence again. If he'd known he'd be put to such harsh circumstances because he left Cadence, he wouldn't have done it. His life is now on the line.

But Cadence would hate her aunts forever if they killed him. And the riot that started outside the recording studio makes him think that a lot of Equestria would also hate them.

And that could be the beginning of a revolution.


	4. Shame and Regret

**Chapter 4: Shame and Regret**

Shining Armor walks down the stairs and towards his parents. Both of his parents, Nightlight and Twilight Velvet, look at him. His mother smiles, trying to warm him back to his old home. But nothing she does will make him feel welcome in such a foreign environment, with guards all around the house and a collar attached to his hind leg. He sits down on the opposite side of his mother, and his father looks at him with sorrowful eyes. A years worth of interrogation of criminals has taught him what fear, sadness, and regret looks like in anypony's eyes. And his father definitely looks sad.

He looks away from either of their gazes and down at his plate, which consists of just a simple salad. He was so used to large feasts at every single meal, prepared by the best cooks in all of the Crystal Empire, and now he was receiving such a simple meal. And he doesn't care.

"Honey?" His mother asks him. "Would you like to speak about anything? You've been awfully quiet since you got here."

He sighs and shakes his head. This is his mother. She was always curious, and could never leave well enough alone. That's where his sister gets it from.

"I just... I don't know how this happened." He admits. They stop eating and look up at him. They hadn't expected him to open up like he just had.

"What do you mean?" His father asks.

"I don't know where we went wrong! We were doing fine, but we fought on a regular basis! Ruling the empire just consumed us. We never got to see each other when we weren't in the courtroom, a meeting, or the few minutes before we fell asleep. Being a prince is just too... hard." The words from his mouth shocks his parents. He never admitted something was too challenging. He was always too proud to do so.

"Everyone treats me like I'm the villain." He drops his head. "I know what I did. I know it wasn't the perfect choice, but there was just nothing else I could do. Cadence, the only other person whose opinion should matter in all of this, is not being listened to. From what I can tell, they're all getting what happened from my traitor of a sister." He spits.

"Traitor? How is your sister a traitor?" Her mother asks, getting defensive.

"She chose Cadence over me! Was Cadence there when she was getting bullied in magic kindergarten? No. Was she there, destroying her social life to satisfy her sister? No. Cadence wasn't there like I was." He complains. He begins to tear up.

"People think I'm heartless. That I don't love Cadence. I do. I still love her. But we're not meant for one another, and I can feel it. Apparently she's the only one upset over this. I am. Does anyone know how hard this is for me? I just left my wife for Celestia's sake! Of course, if it were for Celestia's sake, she would approve and probably wouldn't be wanting to chop off my head!" His head falls on the table and he begins to openly sob.

His mother rushes to his side while his father just pats his shoulder. Velvet whispers soothing words into his ear in an attempt to calm him. Nightlight was never good with calming his children, though. So he just sits there awkwardly.

Later that night, Shining Armor lays in his bed and tries desperately to get to sleep. But the night keeps him up. Either he's delusional, or paranoid, but it speaks to him. It whispers calming words, which he can hazard a guess is to try and put him to rest, but they only make him wonder more. What's going on? Why keep him up? Is this some new thing Canterlot has put up for it's royalty?

But something else changes him mind about. The resignation.

"Stay calm, collected, and you'll be safe. From Night Itself." It says. He opens his eyes and looks around his room.

"Luna?" He whispers.

"Good night, my prince." It whispers a last time. Then he feels the room sucked of a layer of darkness he hadn't realized was there before.

"What is her obsession with me? It's really weird." He mumbles before turning over.

That night as he drifts off to sleep, he has an odd dream. He is back in the Canterlot Castle. Specifically in the courtroom.

"-Ridiculous, Celestia! You are forcing too harsh a punishment for our adopted niece!" He turns around to see Luna arguing with Celestia.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Luna! You were the one stuck in the moon for a thousand years. Things have changed since then." She taunts, turning away from Luna.

"Actually, I have read the laws and it seems to me that there is not a single law that says anypony leaving their partner is to be brought to public humiliation and so long in the dungeon! What if instead it were some random pony being left? Would you force them to the dungeon? Just because it's Cadence doesn't mean she should deserve any special treatment! Shining Armor is not in the wrong! Nopony is. And there shouldn't even be a judgement on his fate! You're being plain ridiculous!" Luna shouts after her sister.

"I am not, Luna! I am not doing this for the sake of Cadence, but for the sake of the Crystal Empire! They are vulnerable without Shining Armor!" Celestia raises her voice and begins to walk away.

"Vulnerable to what? King Sombra has been defeated! What other forces would attack the Crystal Empire that Cadence can't fend off on her own?" Luna argues. As she gets progressively angry, her voice begins to change from her normal, calm voice to the Old Canterlot voice.

"What if there were some other threats posed to the Empire that Cadence can't defeat on her own?" Celestia shouts.

"That is a 'what if' question, Celestia! You do not know of any other threat possible! The Crystal Empire is protected, and safe! The Crystal Heart ensures that!" Luna's voice goes louder than her sisters, and booms throughout the castle.

"That is enough, Luna! This conversation is over!" Celestia then teleports out of the room, leaving Luna to her rage. The Princess of the Night drops her head.

"Shining Armor will not be punished, sister." She says, before vanishing. Suddenly, his environment changes. Instead of the castle's courtroom, he is in the gardens. Surprisingly, Cadence sits on a bench by herself. She doesn't sob like she was before, but instead just sits there, wrapped in a blanket. He approaches the bench, and lowers his head.

"I'm sorry." He whispers. She can't hear me, he thinks, but it's still nice to get off of my chest.

"Me too." She says. He looks up at her to see her looking at him as well.

"You can... You can see me?" He asks in disbelief.

"Of course. You're in my dream, aren't you?" She says before rolling her eyes.

"No! You're in mine!" He says to the seemingly imaginative Cadence. She opens her mouth to speak again, but another voice cuts through the discussion.

"No. You are in mine." They both turn their heads towards the sound of the voice, which comes from the gardens.

"Who's there?" They ask in unison.

"Me." The voice comes from behind them, and to neither of them surprisingly, Luna stands.

"So... We're both a dream?" Cadence asks.

"No. That would be impossible. You are both real. But you are both included in my dream. That's a perk of being the Princess of the Night. I can show you visions, past occurrences, and bring others into my own dream where they can speak." She explains.

"Why though? I mean, what's there to talk about?" Armor asks.

"Well, as you both have just seen, Celestia intends to take your 'abandonment' to... violent, measures." Luna begins. "And I was hoping if you two could talk about your relationship issues, this could all be avoided."

"But... What I mean was true!" Shining argues. "I don't think we were meant to be together, Cadence. I know it's going to take a while for you to get over me, Cadence. But know that it will take twice as long for me to get over you. If I wasn't sure about you, I wouldn't have asked you out in the first place. Trust me, I wish we could work this out. But not only the Empire has come between us, but we have come between us." He says. Cadence looks at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?" She asks.

"I mean that we never get along anymore. Our opinions in everything always differ. I don't know. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe this is just... a phase. Maybe you're the best mare in the world for me. But only time will tell." He turns away from the two Princesses, and he begins walking out of the gardens.

"Shining Armor?" Luna shouts. He turns his head towards the two. "You are still in a dream." With that comment, he warps back to both of them. He laughs nervously.

"Yeah, I, uh, guess I kind of forgot that." He says, blushing. Seeing him laugh makes Cadence's face beam. She begins to laugh with him. Luna's stern face cracks a small grin at the two of them, hoping desperately that this is the mending point for their relationship.

"Why don't you stay a while, Shiny?" Cadence asks her husband. He blushes at the reference of her pet name for him.

"Alright." He agrees. He walks over to the bench, and takes a seat. She leans her head on his shoulder, and his head falls on hers.

"I really hope that was just a phase." Cadence says. He blinks a few times, before realizing what he's doing. He can't just do that! He wasn't arrested for nothing! He has court tomorrow on what he did! He tries to take his head off of hers, but the aroma her mane bears makes it too hard.

Months before, when things were good between them, he'd used to stay awake long past her, and (admittedly creepily) admire the scent of her hair. To him it smelled like something he'd never even caught a whiff of before. Back then, he'd described it as the scent of love.

But now? Now he'd say it's the scent of somepony he has gotten over.


	5. The First Trial

**Chapter 5: The First Trial**

The next day, he had been awoken from the dream by his mother and Gleaming Bane. The guards in his bedroom immediately hoofcuffed him, and marched him to the castle. Somewhere along the way, his caravan of guards met up with Neon's, where they nodded at the other before continuing on their way to the castle. When they reached the courtyard, plenty of mares and stallions alike hold signs, chant angrily and get generally upset at what Shining Armor thinks is his actions.

But after seeing a sign labeled 'Let him go', he realized it was to protect him. Suddenly, he didn't feel so scared. With all these ponies supporting him, it would put a horrible impression on Celestia if she were to execute him. He even saw crystal ponies. The train ride from the Crystal Empire to Canterlot wasn't a short one, by far. For them to travel all this way just to protest his trial was something. He knew the top of the Crystal Empire was going to be there, like Cadence and Wise Prophet, but he wouldn't have guessed so many of the citizens to be here. Gleam follows right behind the two of them, giving them both a sense of odd and unusual safety. Neon leans over to Shining Armor.

"Y'know, if these were regular guards, I'd be terrified. But this guy? He's cool." He whispers. Armor tries hard to suppress the smile creeping across his face. Neon returns to walking forward. Two guards salute the caravan before opening the grand hall doors, where the court is. Shining walks forward, and shakes off the memories of his wedding that took place in this exact room out of his mind.

The first trial is Neon's, and it will be fairly short. Right behind the offender's table sits Vinyl Scratch, Octavia, and Strobe Light, all three of his closest friends. Vinyl waves at him nervously, and he waves back. A guard beside the throne stands at attention.

"All stand for the presence of the Honourable Judge Arbitrator." All the ponies behind Neon, including Shining due to pressure, stand up. Neon just sits impatiently in his seat. An old brown earth pony with a white mane walks out from behind the chair at the front of the room. The stallion looks out over the crowd, until his eyes finally rest on Neon.

"The court has been gathered today to see the trial of Mr. Neon Lights..." The stallion begins, "Who has been pressed with the charges of 'assault against an officer', 'assisting a felon', and 'resisting arrest'. Is this true, Mr. Lights?"

Neon tips his head from side to side.

"All but the last one. I said something like 'you can't arrest me for hitting some idiot who's arresting my friend'. I didn't run from them." Neon explains.

"So you tell me these records lie?" Arbitrator asks.

"No, sir. Not entirely, at least." Neon crosses his arms and leans back in the chair. Arbitrator shakes his head.

"May I call to the stand the defendant?" The old pony asks. At the other table, across from Neon's, sits a grey stallion. The stallion nods, collect his suitcase, and walks towards the stand. The stallion sits in the chair, and a guard puts a large book in front of him, instructing him to put his hoof on the book.

"Do you swear to tell the full truth, nothing but the truth, so help you Celestia?" The guard asks.

"I do." The stallion says. The guard pulls the book back and walks away. Arbitrator turns to the stallion.

"Mr. Leagle, can you recall the events that transpired that day?" He asks. Leagle nods.

"The date was September fifteenth, yesterday," Leagle begins, "when the offendant, Neon Lights, assisted the criminal Shining Armor, by hiding him in his recording studio he shared with Vinyl Scratch and Strobe Light. After a short explanation to the scenario Shining Armor was in, Neon attempted to warn Shining Armor to flee, but the warning was too late. The guards arrested Shining Armor, and Neon proceeded to hit the guard holding Shining Armor with a chair, causing slight skull trauma, alongside slight memory loss."

"Mhmm... You may sit down now, Leagle. Now, I call to the stands Strobe Lights." Arbitrator says, as Leagle exits the stand. Strobe Light, who is a blue colt around Neon's age, with yellow and black hair, stands and makes his way towards the stand. He nods at Neon as he walks by, and sits down at the stand. He takes off his red shutter shades, and goes through the same honesty procedure Leagle had gone through.

"Now, Strobe, you were there during the arrest of Neon, correct?" The judge asks.

"Yes." Strobe answers.

"Can you explain what happened?"

"I was on the second floor, editing some of our new songs, so I had my headphones on. I heard a giant commotion downstairs, so I went to see what was going on and Neon and Shiny there had already been arrested." He explains. "Unlawfully..." He mutters to himself.

"Excuse me?" Arbitrator demands.

"I said unlawfully!" Strobe tries to stand, but a guard holds him down.

"I am sorry, but you have not yet been excused from the stands."

"Why else do you need me?" Strobe barks.

"We don't. But, Mr. Light, it is proper not to argue with the judge, and to not leave until excused. Now go sit back down." Arbitrator orders, facehoofing. Strobe gets up from the seat, and sits back next to Vinyl.

The court continues for another hour before finally hearing Neon's side of the story.

"What happened for you, Neon Lights?" The judge asks.

"I was just finishing stuff up with Strobe," Neon begins, "And well, the guards knocked on the door, instructing that they wanted to find a criminal, and we didn't have much of a choice so we let them in. Then I left to find Vinyl Scratch, when a commotion drew my eyes. I looked over to see Shining Armour run into me. I didn't hesitate, so I told him to follow me to the recording studio. He explained to me what happened, and I warned him. Don't you already know this stuff, judge? Princess Luna pushed me about it yesterday!" Neon complains.

Arbitrator tilts his head, and narrows his eyes.

"Did she? She would've told me about it if she did." He says.

"What? Oh come on! I already... Never mind." Neon says, ending the argument. Neon is sent back to his seat, where his lawyer steps in. The lawyer, who has a brown coat, blonde mane and tail, and wears black glasses, a striped black vest, and a black watch on steps up and nods at Neon.

"Mr. Sentence Seller, defender of Neon Lights, would you like to defend your client?" Arbitrator asks.

"Yes, your honour." Seller begins, "My client, Neon Lights, has had a fairly violent past while intoxicated. And the only time he drinks is when he is stressed. From what I have been told, Neon had had a few drinks before rescuing Shining Armor from the crowd. He had exactly four alcoholic beverages while recording with Strobe, two when the guards came, and one when Shining Armor arrived. When the guards came, he was already a bit tipsy. But he became more and more intoxicated throughout the evening, assuring he would become violent." Sentence Seller ends his first statement.

Arbitrator pushes his glasses up and looks at Seller.

"So you mean to tell me that Neon is unecasarily violent when drunk?" He asks. Seller nods.

"Yes. But he was not drinking any average beverage... No, he was drinking canned appletinis, made in Appleloosa, which contains thirty-four percent different types of alcohol, ten percent water, and fifty-six other additives, like food colouring. Had he not been drinking this type of alcohol, he probably would've been much less violent." Seller states.

"I understand your strategy, very well, Sentence Seller," Arbitrator begins, "And you mean to take my mind off the actual reason we're here. Neon Lights attacked a guard, caused massive brain trauma to him, and you would like to discuss the containments of an alcoholic beverage? Get back on track, Seller."

Seller nods.

"Your honour, I was pointing out how my client is aggressive while drunk, and especially while drunk on an Appleloosan appletini. I did not mean to take the trial off task. But my client was also upset that your guards tackled him when expecting a wanted felon. Shining Armor and Neon Lights have been friends since kindergarten, your honour, and they have been very close friends. Neon Lights's general stress over the music, his consumption of alcohol and the arrest of Shining Armor drove him to the point of extreme violence. If you do plan on punishing Neon Lights, note that it shouldn't be too harsh a punishment. All factors must be taken into account, including stress level and alcohol consumption level. My client, under less upsetting circumstances, would not have been so needlessly violent. All I am trying to say is-"

"Enough, Mr. Seller! You are blandly bringing up the same points over and over!" Arbitrator rubs his eyes tiredly. "It's time for a recess. And remember, don't speak about the case outside this room!"

The entire courtroom stands, and everypony, except for Shining Armor, Neon and Seller, who all huddle together. Neon drops his head on the table, and Shining Armor sits next to him.

"Alright, gentlecolts, I will admit my strategy is not working," Seller begins "at all. I don't think I'll be able to speak again. This has been going on too long, the judge is getting testy, and the jury is getting bored. This is it. We now rely on Lady Luck."

Seller walks away from the two of them, wiping his face of sweat. Neon cries out mockingly.

"Ah! I don't want to go to prison!" He shouts, dropping his face again. Shining Armor, pats his friend's back.

"I don't think you'll go to prison, Neon. If anypony, I'm the one going to prison. And... And I'm ready for it." Armor admits.

"But most of the ponies in there were put in by you. You go in there, you're screwed. And I hate to say that." Neon says. Shiny runs a hoof through his mane, fretting his soon-to-be-announced punishment.

"Yeah, I'm not too worried about them. Most of the guards there respect me, and probably still do. They'll protect me. I'm more worried about what may happen out here." Shiny hopes.

"What may happen out here?" Neon asks, not getting what his friend is implying.

"Nothing good. Riots. Uproar. Possibly a revolution."

**A/N Sorry about the long silence. I am actually currently on a roadtrip down Route 66 in America, so I've haven't had much time to write. I worked on this chapter while I could. Anyways, I'll get to work immediately on the next one.**


	6. The Second Trial

Chapter 6: The Second Trial

**A/N: To username "Shining Armor": Just your username made my day.**

Neon wipes his eyes and looks at his friend.

"A revolution? Are you crazy? All this is going to your head, Shiny! There is no way people are going to revolt over you going to prison, no offense, of course. But I can't say that there won't be some public disagreement. But there is no way there is going to be a revolution, where they overthrow Celestia and Luna, just because they decide to put you in prison." Neon tries to reason.

"What do you mean? They rioted when they saw me get arrested, Neon!" Shining states.

"I could say that they were rioting about me too, then. I was there, remember?" Neon argues.

"But what about the ponies outside this very courtroom? The ones with the signs begging 'to let him go'?" Shining shouts, stomping his hoof down on the table.

"Don't forget I'm also here! It could be for either one of us, not just you!" Neon shouts back.

"Yeah, but why would so many Crystal Ponies show up for the trial?"

"I don't know! Maybe they're here to support Cadence? Use your head, Shining Armor!" Neon shouts, smacking the side of the stallion's head. "There is not going to be a revolution! They are not going to overthrow Celestia because you have been put into prison, for probably a month, for leaving Cadence!"

Shining shakes his head and drops his head on the table. They sit in an angry silence for a moment, Neon leaning back in his chair with his forelegs crossed, and eyes shut. Shining Armor nearly tears up. He doesn't want to go to jail. Nopony does. Especially for some petty 'crime' as silly as breaking up with the one you thought you loved, but don't anymore. He wipes the tears from his eyes, and slams his hoof down overtop of the already shed tears.

"Maybe you're right. Maybe I won't go to prison. Well, hopefully I won't. There won't be any uprising. You're right. There's no 'maybe', now that I think about it." Shining says, wiping the last few tears away. "I'll just... Face whatever punishment Celestia and Luna shall give me."

Neon smiles and falls back forward.

"That's the spirit, kiddo! Now, let's go get some ice cream on the way home!" Neon jokes. Shining chuckles, and slaps his friend on the back.

"Shut up!" He says through his laughter. Neon just chuckles along, and for a few minutes they sit in the quiet of the court room, the silence only being cut through by their hearty laughter.

Only a few minutes later, the court resumes, Seller returns to Neon's side, and Shiny takes a seat beside the musical ponies, (as Strobe nicknamed them), Vinny, and Tavi. Gleaming Bane thought it would be better if he sat beside someone he kind of knows then armed guards, so he relieved the guards of their duty, and allowed Shiny to sit next to whomever he likes.

This time, a different judge steps up. Arbitrator is nowhere to be seen. The new judge, who is not much older than Shiny himself, adjusts his glasses and looks down at a paper on his stand.

"Due to frustration, and disorderly behaivour, Arbitrator has given a small leave of absence for the evening. I will stand up in his stead." The stallion begins. "I am Zero Tolerance. And I will be the judge for the remainder of the Neon Lights trial."

Neon crosses his forelegs again, and once again leans back in his chair.

"The jury and the previous judge, Arbitrator, have decided on Mr. Lights' fate." Zero says, very dramatically. Zero then picks up another sheet of paper, and adjusts his glasses once more.

"The judge and jury find Mr. Lights..." Zero begins. The entire courtroom is silenced as they await the end of his sentence. Neon, who is trying his best to remain nonchalant, even breaks under the pressure. He sighs, drops forward and thumps his head down on the table. Sentence Seller looks over at Neon, and prods him to make sure his client is still alive and conscious. Fortunately, he is. Neon sits back up and puts his hooves on either side of his head, awaiting the end eagerly.

"Guilty." Zero says, putting the paper down and lifting up another one. "And has been sentenced to five weeks of house arrest, an intervention, and rehabilitation on his alcoholic issues."

Neon's eyes burn with a fiery rage at his ridiculous sentences, such as an intervention and rehabilitation. He tries to stand, but Seller is too quick for him, and quickly sits him back down. The lawyer leans back down, and whispers in his client's ear.

"I understand your anger, but violence will not help your cause." He whispers. Neon struggles under Seller's grip, moving his shoulders harshly, and trying to break free, but eventually he simmers down, and just glares angrily at the judge. Zero takes his glasses off, and steps down, leaving the courtroom in shock. Well, most of it. Within a few seconds, the guards in the room go to collect Neon back up. He doesn't resist, but when he walks by Shining Armor, he whispers a small good luck. As the next few minutes pass, Vinny, Tavi and Strobe all exit the courtroom along with a few other ponies. In the next half hour, Shining will be judged.

And he can't believe it. He almost wishes he had gone first. Then, he'd still have Neon and his friends behind him. Gleam approaches the ex-captain, and his (secret) rolemodel, and leads him to the offendant's table. At the other table, Wise Prophet leads Cadence up. He looks over at Cadence, to see she is looking back. She smiles and waves, and then he remembers the previous night. She doesn't know how he feels for real. She thinks they solved their issues. He gives an uneasy smile and wave back.

Gleam sits back down, which confuses Shining Armor. Who is his lawyer? Who will be the one to represent him in court? It's obvious that Prophet will be supporting Cadence, but who will the stallion's lawyer be?

The answer then, literally, walks through the courtroom door. Shining Armor looks back to see his father, Nightlight, in a suit, walking towards the offendant's table. Then he remembers that his father was a lawyer, back when he was an infant. He had forgotten all about it.

But back in the day, Nightlight was one of the best lawyers Canterlot had. He had won an award a few years in a row, but when Twilight was born he had to quit his job, and they lived off of their savings, until they made a small foalsitting business, where they met Cadence who was looking for a job. Thinking back about it, the only reason Shining Armor became the Captain of the Royal Guard was because of his father. For some reason, the only lawyer asked to represent victims of crime was his father, and was appointed by the ex-captain of the Royal Guard.

Nightlight straightens his tie, and a few small beads of sweat roll down his forehead. Despite his past as a lawyer, he is still as nervous as could be. If he fails to protect his son, he would be infuriated with himself. Not only that, but the judges were the Princesses themselves. He has never done this sort of trial. He had only lost a few trials when he began, but got better and hasn't lost one since.

And he'd be damned if he lost this one.

It takes a few minutes, but eventually Celestia and Luna both come out from seemingly nowhere, according to Shining Armor. And when they do, he imediately notices the differences in their facial expressions. Luna looks stern, but softer than her sister. Celestia glares angrily, almost with a deadly look in her eyes directed towards Shining. Luna stands behind Celestia and it seems to Shining that it may be out of cowardice or fear, but then realizes that Celestia is supreme judge, and it's merely protocol for Luna to stand behind her sister.

"Let the trial over the fate of Shining Armor commence." Celestia says, her eyes never leaving her ex-nephew-in-law. Luna steps forward, and past the Princess of the Sun.

"We would first like to call Princess Mi Amore Cadenza to the stands." She says. From the other table, Cadence stands up and walks towards the stand. The guard steps out and makes her put her hoof on the book, and do the honour code. The guard steps back, and Luna looks down at Cadence.

"Could you please recall the events of what has happened to you?" She asks. Cadence sighs, wipes a tear from her eye, and sits up.

"Well, about two weeks ago," She begins "Shining Armor, my husband, sat me down and began to explain that he intended on leaving. I hadn't known exactly what he had meant, but I asked him to stay. Then, a few days later, he told me he didn't think we were right for one another. I demanded more of an explanation, but he didn't say anymore about it. Then yesterday, he left the Crystal Empire, and headed to some unknown destination. Being that you two are always so busy, Princess Luna and Princess Celestia, I figured I'd speak about it with his younger sister, Twilight Sparkle. I sat and cried with her for at least an hour, explaining everything to her. She comforted me, and became... Agressive, I'd say, towards her assistant Spike. They began arguing when she ordered him to go to the store and buy more tissues, and he became upset with her as well. And when he came back, she sent a letter to you, Princess Celestia, and you sicced the guards on him. Twilight sent Spike out again to get something else, and we began to hear talking. We went to check it out only for some mare to scream outside yelling something about Prince Shining Armor. Then, my husband stumbled through the door and onto his face. Twilight and him began arguing, and he left. Then, I went back home to the Crystal Empire where my advisor, Wise Prophet, tried to take my mind off of it and onto issues with the Empire I'd usually deal with by myself. But that night I went to bed, in tears, and had the strangest dream."

Luna's eyes widen at the mention of the dream.

"It first started with you two arguing, Celestia and Luna, and then I was in the Canterlot gardens on a bench. Shining Armor approached me and apologized, and I apologized back. He seemed surprised, and I explained how he was in my dream, and he said I was in his, but it turns out we were actually in the dream of Princess Luna. She explained how we were there, and told us she was hoping we could mend our relationship." Cadence begins to smile, and she looks at Shining Armor. "And we did."

Everypony in the courtroom gasps. This whole trial is devoted to punishing Shining Armor for breaking the relationship, and now she was explaining it was renewed.

Luna looks up at Celestia, hoping she believes it. But her big sister's stern face has changed to a surprised face.

"Is this... Is this the truth?" Celestia asks Cadence. The Princess of Love smiles, looks down and blushes like an embarassed schoolfilly. As Celestia continues to question both her niece and sister, Nightlight turns to his son.

"So, is it true?" He whispers. Shining just shakes his head.

"No. It's... Complicated." He tells his father.

A few more minutes of a confused judge, jury and crowd, and Cadence is asked to return to her own table.

"Shining Armor, come up to the stands." Celestia barks. Shining Armor looks up at Celestia, seeing her face is once again stern. Shining Armor stands, and nods at his father before walking towards the stands. He drops his head in an attempt to not be seen by Celestia's glaring eyes. He steps up to the stand, and takes a seat. His first time on the receiving end of the justice system, and he is torn about it. He absent mindedly drops his hoof on the book , and says:

"I swear." The guard rushes away, and he looks up and sees his father wiping his brow with a handkerchief. Nightlight looks his son straight in the eyes, and points to Celestia. Shining Armor looks up at the Princess of the Daytime.

"Can you recall the events of what has happened between you and your wife?" Celestia asks, her eyes full of hatred.

"Yes. I can. It started about six weeks ago." He recalls, "When Cadence and I stopped seeing each other as much. The Empire split us apart. I thought about it. Not only that, but we weren't getting along together. We would fight constantly. Even to the point where I left the castle. I did a lot of thinking, wondering about what happened to us. And then I just... Got the feeling that maybe we weren't right for one another. Maybe we were stepping stones for one another to get to the ones that were meant for us. And then I told her that. She, of course, didn't understand. She tried to get me to explain more, and I tried my best. Then, as you've heard, I left. I left the Empire. She begged me to stay, even through tears. Our advisor, Wise Prophet warned me that it could be catastrophic for the citizens to learn about it. I spat something back about him spreading the word, and then I left for Ponyville."

He continues to go, deep indepth about his experiences with her. About how he was saved by his friend, captured by the guards, and finally the dream.

"-And then, I put my head on hers. The scent of her hair reminded me of a while ago, when we used to go to bed I'd sit there, with her in my arms. I'd smell her hair. I didn't have a name for it, and considering she's the Princess of Love, I figured that it might be the smell of love. When I first caught of whiff of it, I was inotxicated by it! But, last night, when I smelled that exact same scent, I was... Sick of it." He finishes.

Celestia turns her head, confused.

"And what does that mean?" She asks.

"I don't..." He begins, but trails off and stares off into space.

"You don't what?" Celestia demands, stomping her hoof down. "You don't know?"

"I don't love Cadence anymore." He admits. His facial expression doesn't change. He continues to stare off into space, more specifically at the ceiling. Celestia's frown drops, and a surprised look replaces it. The Princess turns her head, and looks at her adopted niece, whose smile has also faded. The news hits her harder than anybody. Being told by the one you're in love with that they don't love you, twice?

She sobs loudly and drops her head on the table. Without a word, he stands and walks back to his table. Even his lawyer, his own father, doesn't understand what he means. He leans into his son's ear.

"You don't love her? That's... Good, I guess." He thumps back into the chair, and runs a hand through his blue mane. "And bad."

The jury all exchange glances, and Celestia's face slowly, and very angrily twists into the look of an enraged bull. Her teeth beared, her eyes narrowed and her hooves scratching at the wood beneath her feet.

"You what!?" She screams. "My niece? The one you proposed to with a three thousand bit ring? The one you tricked twice? You don't love her? At all!?"

But Shining Armor doesn't even react heavily to Celestia's sudden rage.

"Nope."

But then, something happens nopony expected. Princess Celestia, their ruler, glitches. Her coat, mane and tail all change colour as her horn glows a purple colour. But only for a split second before returning to their normal colours.

"Prison! Life sentence in a maximum security prison!" She screams. Luna's mouth drops, and the jury and crowd both gasp.

"Celestia!" Luna shouts. Celestia whips around to look at her sister. "This is not what we agreed on, Celestia!" Luna growls.

"I don't care, Luna! You are only the second-in-charge, and I could banish you back to the moon in an instant! You don't call the shots!" Celestia argues. Luna's narrowed eyes return to normal as she comes to a realization.

"You're not the real Celestia. You're not my sister." Luna whispers, before vanishing. The crowd gasps, and the jury begins to quickly file out. Celestia turns back to the courtroom, to see Nightlight rushing his son out of the room.

"Guards! Seize him!" She barks. Gleaming Bane, who had been shocked, nods and stands. He charges towards Nightlight and Shiny. Nightlight looks back at Gleam, and pushes his son forward.

"Go!" He yells, turning towards Gleam, and raising his hooves defensively. But Gleam just runs past Nightlight, and towards Shiny. But he whispers something when he runs by.

"I'm on your side." Nightlight grins, and turns around. He begins to run after his son and Gleam, but turns just before exiting the courtroom.

"Come on, everypony! She has shown us well that this is no longer a democracy, but a dictatorship! If you want to make it, come with us!" He shouts.

A number of ponies, at least half, rise and run towards the exit.

"Guards! Seize and kill them all!" Celesita orders. Most of the guards in the room don't run. They just stand there.

"What are you idiots doing? Go after them!" She screams. Oh, the guards run after them. But not in the way Celestia wants. The run after them to join them.

And these are the first real ponies to join the revolution.


	7. Run Like the Devil's on Your Tail

**WARNING: This chapter contains graphic violence, and may not be suitable for younger readers. Please read at your own discretion.**

It had been weeks. And tons of things had happened.

Shining Armor's group of ponies, now naming themselves the First Elements of Resistance, hadn't found any good spot to stay, and hide.

Princess Luna still hadn't been found.

Neon Lights began his house arrest, with Vinyl Scratch never leaving his side.

Celesita had more strange, glitched occurences.

Not only that, but Celestia had been putting out bounties on everypony's head. Literally.

Cadence had returned to the Crystal Empire, and chose to eliminate all contact with towns Celestia had rule over, along with trading.

Twilight Sparkle took the side of Celestia, over the side of her mother, father, and brother.

And a new Captain of the Royal Guard, Captain Onyx Steel, had been appointed.

**Day 22 of the Resistance**

**Following: Rainbow Dash**

**Location: Outside of Fillydelphia**

Rainbow Dash, who had been in the courtroom with her friends, had fled with the Resistance. She had been a great use to Shining Armor, scouting and leading the Pegasus Regiment. But a lot of other ponies questioned her motives, seeing as how she loves the Wonderbolts, who had taken to Celestia's side, and were being trained in the combat of war secretly.

However, despite the criticism and questioning done by ponies like Gleam, and her fellow Pegasi, she is loyal to Shining Armor, her new Prince.

Enough so to be spying on a camp of Celestia's army.

"Three guards, two armed, one not." She whispers to her assistant, Ditzy Do.

"Alrighty!" Ditzy cheered. The clumsy Pegasus flies up, but Dash yanks her back down.

"Be quiet, Derpy! We're on a reconnaissance mission! And that means stealth!" Dash hisses.

"What's stealth?" Ditzy asks.

"It means being like a ninja!" She says, crawling more up the hill, and more into the brush to get a better angle.

"Oh! So when do we get ninja stars, and when do we learn karate? Ooh! When do we get to learn to climb buildings, and-?" Ditzy begins, but is silenced by a frustrated Dash.

"You don't get ninja stars, or learn karate. And why would you need to climb a building, you're a Pegasus!" Dash says, before continuing to crawl away.

"Oh. Right." Ditzy opens one of her wings, flaps it a few times before giggling and suddenly dropping flat to the ground to crawl back over to Rainbow Dash. The clumsy pegasus narrows her eyes as she pushes shrubs away from her eyes. As she slowly progresses up the slant, Dash pulls a pair of binoculars out from her saddlepouch, and brings them up to her eyes.

Down below, the small scouting group of stallions sit around a campfire.

_They're probably trying to find our camp..._ Dash thinks. So I'm glad we found them first.

She then looks back at Ditzy, who is going downhill again.

_Well, that I found them._

"Ditzy!" She whispers loudly. Ditzy lifts her head, and turns it to face Dash.

"Yeah, Dashie?" She asks. The rainbow maned pegasus drops her face onto her hoof and shakes her head.

"Just... Go back to base and tell the captain that I took care of a group of scouts." She commands.

"But... Dash? They're still alive." Ditzy states, scratching her head. Dash grins, before pulling a knife out of her saddle.

"Oh yeah, but not for long..." Dash turns her head from the clumsy mare, dismissing her in the process. Ditzy wiped her brow, suddenly becoming frightened of her superior. Ditzy quickly scurries away, eager to prove Dash wrong.

"Alright, now to get to business..." Dash whispers, chuckling in the process. She pulls her saddlebag off and hides it away. She crawls, and slivers down the side of the hill, finding a suitable bush for her to hide and wait for her prey to fall asleep.

"I just want to go home... I'm tired, sick and cold." One, with a dirty golden coat, wearing bronze armor complains. Another one takes a drink out of a bottle.

"I'm telling you, shut up! No one cares, and if you weren't such a pansy you'd take a sip of this! It keeps me nice and warm..." He says, taking yet another swig. But the unarmed one, scared and quiet, just sits there, shivering.

"Eh, what's on your mind?" The drunk one asks.

"N-nothing..." He says. The stallion, who is at least four years younger than the other two, turns his head away.

"C'mon, you dolt. What's the matter?" The drunk one prods the smaller one. "We're your squad! You can tell us anything. We're like..." The drunk one tries to finish his sentence, but instead falls back, unconscious. The bronze one, presumably the sergeant, shakes his head.

"Why don't you get some sleep, Dust? We have a long day tomorrow." He says.

"Yeah, I guess we do. Goodnight, sergeant." The young one turns on his side, and shuts his eyes. The sergeant, however, stays awake and watches the dying embers.

"Life's too short." He whispers. For a few minutes, all that can be heard is the crackling of the flames. Dash waits for the breaths of Dust to even out before setting out after them all. She crawls out from the bush with her knife in hoof, and sneaks up on the sergeant. She approaches him from behind, silent as the night itself, and prepares for the coming task.

She raises the knife, higher, higher, and higher until-

"Please. Make it quick." He says. Dash becomes puzzled, and stays motionless. "I am talking to you, mystery mare."

She remains silent, still puzzled as to how he knew she was there. He turns his head to look at her.

"I've done enough killing. Perhaps it's my time to be on the receiving end. Make it swift." He turns back to face the flames, closing his eyes and allowing a single tear to run down his face.

"No... I won't." She says. Although, she doesn't put the knife away, or lower it. This may be a trap.

"What? Why not?" He pleads. She blinks a few times.

"Because... You don't seem content, or even pleased with what you've done. I don't kill the innocent." She tells him.

"But I am not innocent, you see. I have killed on behalf of that witch, Celestia. She is not a true ruler." He says, kicking dust up with his hoof.

"You don't like her?" Dash asks.

"No. But my family needs the pay from this job." Then he realizes, if she kills him, his children won't have a daddy.

"But your kids?" She says.

"They... They don't need a bad rolemodel like me, cutting down the correct because I don't approve of change. They should be sickened by me." He says. He drops his face into his hooves, and begins to openly sob.

"Oh... I'm so sorry." She says. She backs off, then realizes this is all just a ploy.

"Hey, wait a second. You're tricking me, aren't you?" She demands, putting the knife to his throat.

"No. I am not trying to. I just... Do it." He says. He puts his hoof on the knife. "Cut me."

"-We're like brothers!" The drunken one suddenly yells, waking from his short slumber. He sits up immediately and is horrified to see his segreant being killed by some rebel mare.

"Hey!" He grabs his spear and throws it at Dash, but she is too quick, and dodges.

"Come on, dude, spears aren't meant for throwing!" Dash charges the guy and slices upwards, but he jumps back and pulls out his own knife. He runs at her and slices downwards, hoping desperately to hit her, but she slices upwards and their knives clash. They both try to push the other back, causing the blades to slide down one another, which in turn causes sparks.

Dash grits her teeth and struggles against the stallion's strength, and then realizes: he's drunk. Her mouth falls open, and she points behind him.

"Look at that hot mare!" She calls. He turns his head for a second, and she uses the opportunity to kick him down, and put the knife around his throat.

"You tricky bi-!" She doesn't let him finish his sentence before she slits his throat quickly. His blood spills out all over the ground, causing her to gag. She isn't used to... This, violence. She's seen blood, lots of it over the past three weeks but not in this quantity. This is all his blood. She turns quickly to face the other two, who are wide awake, and vomits.

"That went a little too well..." She says. Dust, who is horrified by the events, begins to stand, and tries to run away. She points to him with the knife, and then to the ground.

"You. Sit." She commands. Dust looks at her, and realizes who she is.

"You're... You're Rainbow Dash!" He says. Her eyes widen, and fire burns bright in them. Or, the fire in front of them reflects more in her eyes since they're widened.

"Where did you get that name?" She paces towards him, now on hind legs.

"You... You went to the Wonderbolts academy! I was in the class right before you left!" He covers his head and closes his eyes. "Please don't kill me!" He begs. She kneels down beside him.

"I won't kill you. But you're coming with me." She stands up and raises her voice. "Both of you are coming with me."

Dust and the sergeant both look at one another.

"Ditzy!" Dash screams. Within a few seconds, Ditzy pops up behind Dash, hovering above the ground.

"Yes Dash?" She asks. Dash turns quickly and sees the stupid grin on Ditzy's face and shakes her head.

"Tie these two up and take them back to camp, but blindfold them this time!" She commands. Ditzy salutes Dash and takes out her hoof cuffs. She flies over to the sergeant, and cuffs him, blindfolds him, and puts a rag around her mouth. She then does the same thing to Dust. By this time, Dash has already flown back to the temporary camp.

**Day 22 of the Resistance:**

**Following: Shining Armor**

**Location: Temporary Camp of the Resistance**

Shining Armor wipes his brow of the sweat that's been gathering all day. For the past weeks, he hasn't slept. Not once. His adrenaline keeps him going, awake and aware. He doesn't know how everybody else does it. Then again, they're just fighting, not planning and worrying about many other ponies well being and lives.

"Captain Shining Armor! Rainbow Dash reporting for duty, sir!" He turns his head to the door of his tent to see Rainbow Dash, saluting.

"At ease, Dash." He orders. He turns his attention back to the map laid out in the dirt in front of him. "What do you have to report?"

"You mean Ditzy Do never came back here to tell you?" She asks. "Lord, that mare is going to kill me... Anyways, I have found one small scouting squad, and eliminated one and taken the other two hostage."

"Wait, you attacked? Jesus, Dash! You weren't supposed to attack! It was a recon mission!" He shouts.

"But, milord, it was only three ponies. And one was just a boy!" She states.

"That doesn't excuse your orders, Dash. You went out there to find scouts, not kill them." He lowers his voice and shakes his head. "You're excused. Go get some rest." He turns back to his map and expects her to leave.

"You should have some rest too, sir. You have been on edge for weeks." Her comment makes his want to shout and scream at her, yelling "I've been leading a rebellion," and "I can't get to sleep!", but instead, he just nods.

"I should. Thank you, Rainbow Dash." He rubs his eyes and closes the map. He hears her hoofsteps leading away from the tent and falls back. He curls into a ball and closes his eyes. Rainbow Dash frustrates him, yes, but he needs her to help with this rebellion. Leading at least one hundred ponies is tough.

And he needs help.

* * *

**A/N: Hey everypony. Sorry for the long silence. I've been busy, with settling down from the roadtrip. I had originally meant to publish the chapter before this ****_weeks_**** before now, but I must've forgotten to, so I gave you another chapter to go along with it. **

**Cheers, and have some good fun.**


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